


Who is most likely to carry the other?

by SomethingBlue42



Series: OTP Question Meme [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Castiel and Dean Winchester Behave Like a Married Couple, Castiel and Dean Winchester Being Idiots, Castiel and Dean Winchester Have a Profound Bond, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Castiel is Protective of Dean Winchester, Castiel: the BAMFiest Angel in the Garrison, Dean Winchester is Protective of Sam Winchester, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Hurt Dean Winchester, M/M, Misunderstandings, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25235095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomethingBlue42/pseuds/SomethingBlue42
Summary: “Cas?” Dean looked up, finding his brother pushing himself to his knees. The dork actually folded his hands. “Castiel? We need your help-”“No, we don’t.”“Dean’s hurt.”“I am no-”The flutter of wings and displacement of air sounded behind them, Dean wincing as his ears popped. He worked his jaw open and closed, sticking a pinky in his ear and jiggling it.“What happened?”
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: OTP Question Meme [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828084
Comments: 14
Kudos: 291





	Who is most likely to carry the other?

**Author's Note:**

> [otp question meme master list](https://deanwinchesterfirstofhisname.tumblr.com/post/622737293151715328/otp-question-meme-master-list-who-is-the-most#_=_)

“I’m fine.”

“Dean!” Sam’s voice ricocheted through the forest and Dean winced before toppling back down onto the deadfall he’d just tried to rise from.

Dean was panting, feeling blood pulse at his temples as his brother knelt down to examine his ankle, large hand closing around it gingerly.

“ _’EY QUIT_ ,” Dean bellowed, black crowding at the edges of his vision, stomach rolling and the Grand Slam he’d bolted down for breakfast threatened to come back up.

“You can’t walk on that.”

“Can.” Dean grunted grabbing on to Sam’s shoulder again attempting to hoist himself up.

"We should call Cas-”

“ _NO_!” Dean nearly lost his balance again, instinctively dropping his foot to the ground to catch himself and the noise he made was involuntary, legs nearly crumpling but Sam’s arm around his back kept him up.

“Come on, Dean. Don’t be stubborn.” Sam pulled his phone out of his pocket then frowned. “No signal.” Sam looked at Dean expectantly.

“If you don’t have a signal I don’t either, genius.”

Sam’s bitch face dimples made an appearance. Dean would find it funny if he wasn’t concentrating so hard on not vomiting. “Call him.”

“Did you not hear me-”

“No, Dean. _Call_ him. Angel radio.”

Dean’s face screwed up in indignation. “NO! You call him.”

“He doesn’t come when _I_ call him.”

Dean scowled. “Just… let’s just… go back to the car.” Dean shifted his arm around Sam’s shoulder, steadying himself on his one leg, ready to move when Sam did.

“Are you _kidding_ me?” Sam pulled Dean away to look at him but kept him steady with a hand hooked around his bicep. “You think I can haul your ass five miles through the forest with a broken ankle?”

“What good are all those push-ups if you can’t haul your big brother around.” Dean clapped Sam hard on the chest. “Let’s go.”

They made it a mile before Dean lost his breakfast, two before Sam’s pace started to slow but at the two-and-a-quarter mark Sam lost his footing and they both went down. Dean’s shout sent a flock of birds into flight from nearby trees and he stayed down, unmoving the leaf-littered forest floor holding him armless.

“Cas?” Dean looked up, finding his brother pushing himself to his knees. The dork actually folded his hands. “Castiel? We need your help-”

“No, we don’t.”

“Dean’s hurt.”

“I am no-”

The flutter of wings and displacement of air sounded behind them, Dean wincing as his ears popped. He worked his jaw open and closed, sticking a pinky in his ear and jiggling it.

“What happened?”

A warm hand covered Dean’s ankle, a gentle heat that hurt but not enough to squirm about. Castiel was crouched next to him, tan coat pooling on the ground around him, tie askew as always. Dean tried to push him away.

“I said ‘m fine! Sam help me up.” Dean held out a hand and Sam’s displeased dimples made an appearance again, hands on his hips as he loomed over both men.

"Cas I know Dean’s being a real dickhead right now and you’re not on speaking terms but-”

“Why am _I_ the dickhead??”

“We’re still about 3 miles from the car and if you could just heal him up that would-”

“I can’t heal him.” Castiel stood, wiping his palms together.

Sam looked alarmed. “What? Why?”

Castiel looked around, his eyes squinting and there was something otherworldly about him then, intelligent eyes holding multitudes. “This is old land.”

“What do you mean old land?” Dean peered up at him, one eye squinted against the watery sun behind Cas’s head giving him an accidental halo. The angel ignored him, continuing to scan the area, unmoving. Dean sighed. “Sam, what’s he mean old land?”

Sam’s brows drew in worry, his eyes on Castiel. “I think… I think it means that it’s enchanted somehow.”

"Ancient. Charged. Undisturbed and familiar to creatures who’ve existed for millennia, centuries before humans.” Castiel’s eyes flicked to Dean in a passing glance but didn’t hold.

“And that neuters you?” 

Castiel’s head whipped to scowl down at Dean and Dean fought a smirk. Castiel’s jaw clenched, looking back out into the trees. “We should go.”

Castiel leaned down and for a moment Dean thought he was going to touch his ankle again so he braced for the pain. What he didn’t brace for was being scooped up into the angel’s arms like he was no heavier than a sack of potatoes.

“What the fu-” Dean’s arms scrambled, circling around Castiel’s neck for stability as his feet kicked feebly, resisting the hold at first but the pain that sudden movement caused had his head thumping against Castiel’s collarbone, fighting off the creeping darkness once more.

“Come along, Sam.” Castiel strode ahead leaving Sam to scramble behind him. 

Dean kept his head down, temple resting against Castiel’s neck as he scowled. He was tense in Castiel’s arms, unyielding in his stubborn pout but he didn’t miss the gentle throb of Castiel’s pulse starting up. The angel took a breath and let it out of his mouth and Dean rolled his eyes.

“Don’t get your blood going on my account,” Dean muttered, feeling the steady thud of it against his own ribs.

“I’m only trying to make you comfortable.” Dean snorted. Castiel shifted him gently in his arms, situating the crook of his elbow more firmly under his knee and Dean was able to loosen his calf muscle, Castiel preventing the jostle of his injured ankle for him now. “You’re the one who said not having a heartbeat and not breathing was creepy.”

“Since when do you care?” Dean grumbled uncurling his arms from around Castiel’s neck to fold them over his chest. Dean felt Castiel’s arm tighten around his ribs.

“I have always cared for you, Dean. You being a stubborn jackass doesn’t change that.”

“Oh, _I’m_ the stubborn jackass.”

“Well, I’m certainly not.”

“You know what?” Dean tried to wiggle and Castiel stopped looking down at the man in his arms. “Put me down. I’ll take my chances with the old land creatures.”

Castiel’s brows scrunched. “You’ll be eaten. Or worse.”

Dean’s mouth popped open. “What’s worse than being _eaten_?”

Castiel’s eyes were a warning and Dean felt himself shiver, subconsciously shifting more towards Castiel’s chest. “We need to keep moving.”

Dean grumbled, allowing one arm to loop around Castiel’s neck again but only because it made him feel more secure and he had something to hold onto in case the angel were to drop him. Castiel snorted and Dean scowled, wondering if Castiel was listening in.

“Sam?” Dean called weakly, lifting his head to try and see his brother.

“RIght here.”

Dean felt his brother’s hand on his forearm at the back of Castiel’s neck briefly before it went away but Dean could hear the sound of Sam’s boots crunching through the brush behind them.

“Something happens you get Sammy out,” Dean mumbled under his breath and he pretended not to notice the roll of Castiel’s eyes.

“Of course.”

Time passed as Dean fought to keep his eyes open, the sun now high overhead. He could hear Sam puffing behind him, knew his brother’s hair was wet with sweat. He was pleasantly warm but not overheated. 

“Cas…. are you… are you temperature controlling me?” Castiel shifted him in his arms but didn’t answer. “You… I…” Dean snorted and let his head hang back. “You’re not talking to me but you go out of your way to regulate your own body temperature so _I’m_ comfortable?”

“I’m not ‘not talking’ to you. You’re not talking to me.”

“No,” Dean shifted to look up at Castiel and Cas shifted his hold so that Dean was sitting up higher and they were now face to face if Castiel turned his head to the side. “You were the one who disappeared with no warning the morning after-”

“Excuse me.” Castiel stopped abruptly and Dean fought the cringe at the holy fire behind the angel’s eyes, reminded once again that angels are warriors of god and Castiel had led battalions into war for millennia. “You were the one that disappeared.”

“What?!” Dean’s voice jumped an octave. “No, I didn’t.”

“I woke up and you were gone. You’d been gone for a while.” Castiel began walking again, shifting his shoulders, his mouth set in an unpleased pucker. “The mattress was cold.”

Dean heaved a sigh. “Cas. You idiot.” 

“Don’t call me an _idiot,_ Dean. I may be unfamiliar with certain customs but I know what being ghosted is.”

“Cas. I went to get coffee and danishes. For you.”

Castiel stopped again, looking at Dean and his head tilted. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” 

“In that case I’ll make sure the creature over there doesn’t eat you.” Castiel turned his head, calling over his shoulder. “Keep close, Sam.”

Dean felt his brother’s hand` snatch a handful of the back of the angel’s coat. “What is it, Cas?”

“It’s not of import. It won’t bother us.”

“Wait, Cas! Wait dammit!” Castiel finally halted looking at Dean expectantly. “We can’t just leave some….some human-eating monster out here.”

Castiel looked at Dean as if he were trying every ounce of the angel’s patience. “You two are the first humans to set foot in this forest for eight-hundred years.”

“What?” both brothers demanded at the same time.

“It’s right off a highway!” Sam insisted.

“It was charmed to keep humans out. I’m assuming that because both of you have been vessels to angels and demons and, well frankly, died on numerous occasions you’ve likely been exempt.”

“We… we aren’t human?” Sam’s voice was small.

“For the purposes of the enchantment warding this forest, it seems not.”

They were silent for a while then, the brothers each contemplating their own humanity before Dean forced himself to shove it down and away, looking up at Cas again.

“So, what angels are safe from whatever goes ‘bump’ on old land?”

Castiel fixes Dean with a deep blue stare, eyes fathoms deep and ancient beyond comprehension. Dean felt warm, the blue flame of Castiel’s grace flickering before fading back again. “No, not intrinsically. But things that go ‘bump’ as you say, dare not intervene where I tread.” The levity in Cas’ voice made Dean shiver. “You are safe with me.”

Dean nodded and after a moment tucked his face into Castiel’s neck, the angel’s arms tightening around him.

**Author's Note:**

> [Visit me on Tumblr](https://deanwinchesterfirstofhisname.tumblr.com)   
> 


End file.
